Coming Home
by Sillimaure
Summary: Sometimes, letting go of the past can be a difficult thing to do.


**A/N:** This was written for another challenge at the TFN site. The challenge was to write a story where Han and Luke discuss the events of Bespin for the first time. This is my effort. Enjoy!

**Coming Home**

The streaks of light stilled into the normal twinkling stars of real-space as the X-wing came out of hyperspace and entered the skies above Coruscant. Below in the space above the planet's surface, the never-ending traffic of ships and speeders of all sizes streamed through the skies of the metropolis.

The occupant of the fighter glanced down at the planet below and smiled. Although Coruscant was not home – the closest he was able to come to a home these days was the new academy on Yavin – but it would be good to see his sister and her family again.

Receiving clearance from the controller, Luke Skywalker piloted his star-fighter down toward the planet's surface and the private docking area reserved for New Republic dignitaries and high ranking visitors – sometimes being the galaxy's only Jedi Knight, and the brother of one of its most powerful women, came in handy.

The approach was smooth – he had piloted this ship for many years after all – and as he approached the landing site, he could see the welcoming committee. Han stood at the edge of the platform, gazing up at Luke's ship as it eased down toward the platform, a familiar lopsided grin plastered on his face.

Setting the craft down, Luke quickly ran through the ship's shut-down procedure, reflecting on his family – he had not seen them in several months, as he had been busy starting up the new Jedi Academy on Yavin. The realization struck him, that he had missed their presence and constant support – it had been too long.

Grinning at the anticipated reunion with his friend, Luke opened the canopy and climbed down the side of the X-wing, stopping to remove his travel bag from the storage compartment under the cockpit. The scent of fuel and engine lubricants hung heavy in the Coruscant air, causing Luke to curl his lip in distaste – such scents were rare on the jungle moon and he found he had not missed them at all. He turned to greet Han, who was now approaching, a huge smile on his face.

"Hey! Han, you old pirate! How are you?"

Han Solo's smile quickly turned to a scowl. "Hey, a little less of the old, will you?" he replied before breaking out again into a huge grin and enveloping the younger man in a bone-crushing hug. "Glad you could make it."

Luke smirked back at his closest friend, well aware of just how much he had missed the other man. "You don't think I would miss the birth of my sister's third child, do you?"

"Yeah, well if you'd left it much longer you would have missed it. Come on, she's been impossible to live with since she found out you were on your way."

Luke grabbed his travel bag from where he had dropped it and started out after Han, who had already begun to walk out of the docking bay. Han looked good, the years hardly seeming to touch him, even though it had been more than ten years since they had met in that dingy cantina on Tatooine. He was perhaps a little more careworn than he had been, but who among them was not?

"So kid, how's that academy of yours doing?" he began, slipping into the easy banter which had characterized their relationship.

Luke shrugged, knowing Han was well aware of how things were progressing at the academy. "Frantic, but then you already knew that. Right now I'm the only one who can teach, so I'm busy with that, running the academy and whatever missions the security council manages to dig up for me. Turned them down a couple of times too – heard they weren't happy about it…"

Han snorted. "Yeah, well that's got to be the understatement of the century. Your sister had to smooth ruffled feathers on more than one occasion. They consider you quite their tame Jedi you know."

"Yeah, I know," Luke responded. "It's a perception I've been trying to disabuse them of. The Jedi have never been a branch of whatever government is currently in power – we have always been independent and I intend us to stay that way."

"You may have trouble convincing Fey'lya of that, you know," Han responded.

Fey'lya – he was just about the worst on a committee full of beings Luke would rather not associate with. He remembered the last time they had met; the councilor had literally demanded Luke's attention to some matter or another, becoming very offended when the Jedi had refused. In fact, Luke suspected the Bothan would like to make the Jedi a branch of his own office, never mind having them associated with the Republic. Luke was very much hoping he would be able to avoid the aggravating alien on this trip, although he knew it was very unlikely.

"Personally, I don't care if he's ever convinced," Luke fired back. "The honorable minister can go jump off the palace for all I care."

"Well, you'll have a chance to tell him that yourself soon enough."

Luke blanched. "He's not at your apartment, is he?"

Han shook his head, clearly amused at Luke's reaction. "No, but you didn't think you'd be able to avoid him, did you?"

"Maybe not," Luke admitted, "but I did have some rather fond daydreams to that effect."

Han laughed. "Well, we'll see what we can do. But remember, your sister expects you to stay for a while and I doubt you'll be able to avoid him the whole time."

Knowing Han was right, Luke simply shrugged his shoulders and continued to walk beside his friend. Fey'lya would be Fey'lya, and nothing Luke could do would change that. He was determined not to let the councilor ruin his time with his family.

They walked in companionable silence for several moments, having passed the need for constant chatter in their relationship many years ago.

At length, Han turned in Luke's direction. "So, when are you going to get yourself a girl and make your own addition to the population of the galaxy?"

Taken aback by this sudden change in topic, Luke gaped at his friend, his expression slowly turning to a smile at the twinkle of amusement in Han's eyes. "I don't know Han, there's just so much to do and no real prospects on Yavin, as you well know."

"The biological clock is ticking, you know," Han responded.

Luke gazed at his friend, his brow furrowing in suspicion. "Leia put you up to this, didn't she?"

"She may have said something about it, but I'm just curious," he responded, his hands held out in denial.

"Leia put you up to this," Luke declared flatly. "Well, I'll tell you this much – when I do eventually find someone, it will not be anyone she has tried to set me up with. I mean seriously, can you see me with some of those dignitaries she has tried to stick me with?""Come on," Han responded, a smirk plastered on his face, "some of those ladies were impeccably brought up, well educated and very attractive."

"And most interested in the Jedi Master – but less than interested in Luke Skywalker," Luke retorted. "And some of those 'impeccably brought up women' also had the personality of a ronto. Come on Han, I'm just thirty – I think I still have _some _time left. It will come in time."

Han grinned back at his friend, obviously enjoying Luke's reaction. "Well, if none of those ladies interested you, what about something a little closer?"

Luke eyed his companion suspiciously. "I know I'll end up regretting this, but I assume you have someone in mind?"

"Well, what about Mara Jade?" Han asked, a barely concealed smirk on his face.

Luke stopped dead in his tracks, his mouth agape. Had his friend just seriously suggested he pursue Mara as a romantic interest?

"What about her?" Luke asked, still dumbfounded at the direction the discussion had taken.

"Well, she's about your age, attractive – gorgeous even, Force sensitive… And didn't you have a thing for redheads? Seems like a good match."

"Aren't you forgetting prickly, moody and possessing an itchy trigger finger? Not to mention the fact that until recently there was nothing she wanted better than to have me in the sights of her blaster. Yeah, sounds like a match ordained by the Force itself to me."

"Now don't get all offended," Han replied, barely keeping in his laughter. "It's me, remember? And anyway, I thought you two were getting cozy lately."

"I wouldn't exactly call it 'getting cozy'," Luke shot back. "She's visited Yavin a time or two and I think we're to the point where she tolerates my presence, which is certainly a step up, but if I started thinking about her like that, she'd either laugh in my face, or go for that little blaster she keeps hidden on her person."

"Well, you know what they say – no risk, no reward."

"Yeah, well, but you have to be around to enjoy the reward and with Jade, that's far from certain."

Han merely grinned and began walking, Luke once again trailing along behind, shaking his head. For Han to suggest such a thing – he must have been drinking too much of that Corellian brandy he liked so much.

"Seriously Luke," Han interrupted his thoughts, "take it from a guy who almost missed the starship. If you wait too long, you may just find yourself old and alone."

"Sage advice," Luke retorted and then noticed Han's look darkening at his response. "Hey Han, don't worry – it's me," he threw Han's words back at him. "I'm not closed to the idea of finding someone of my own – I simply haven't managed to find that person yet. When it happens, I won't let it pass me by."

Han grunted in what could have been agreement and continued walking. Luke looked sidelong at his friend, aware now that something was bothering his closest friend – he usually wasn't the type for touchy-feely relationship type conversations. It had almost always been Leia who had been pushing this sort of discussion in the past. However, Luke, deciding it would be better to let Han get to the point on his own, simply continued to walk beside his friend down the corridors of the old Imperial Palace.

At length, they arrived at the nearest transportation hub and boarded the shuttle. They sat down in silence, Han seemingly lost in his own thoughts, Luke feeling pensive and more than a little curious at his friend's mood. He had never known Han to be introspective – brash, opinionated and fearless were the norm.

Sighing imperceptibly, Luke turned his gaze to the view outside the shuttle. The palace was enormous, one of Palapatine's few contributions to the galactic capital which Luke did not view with some distaste – of the ones which still stood. The New Republic had been steadily removing many of the traces of his rule from the face of Coruscant, but that policy did not apply to the palace itself. Its size and location made it a perfect location for government offices and housing for the Republic's dignitaries, not to mention the fact that its immensity would make it very difficult to demolish and remove. So it stood – a constant reminder to all of the dangers of complacency.

As the shuttle sped around the outside of the building, Luke gazed out at the city, sprawling off into the distance, a never ending jungle of duracrete. Even now, years after the ultimate fall of the Empire, Luke did not like Coruscant – for a man who had grown up in the isolation of Tatooine, the thought of so many people living on one planet was a difficult concept to understand and accept. He vastly preferred the solitude of Yavin. It was a place where he could be at peace – feel in tune with the Force.

_Still, it couldn't hurt to have a base here,_ he mused. _Maybe I should apply for an apartment in the palace._

The idea had some appeal – he could then have his own place while visiting and not have to sponge off Leia all the time. Not that his sister minded. In fact, he knew she liked to have him close at hand, under her thumb, so to speak, during the infrequent instances when he was staying on the planet.

A shift from Han caught Luke's attention and his eyes shifted back to his friend. Han was regarding him, his face an unreadable mask.

"Leia has decided on a name," he said without preamble.

Sensing this was the crux of Han's odd mood, Luke motioned for him to continue. "What is it?"

There was a slight hesitation. "Anakin."

"Anakin…" Luke breathed, dumbstruck. That his sister would name her own child after…

"Last I heard she still wouldn't acknowledge him as our father, let alone name her son after him," Luke finally stammered.

Han's attention turned back to the window. "Yeah, well, I'm not sure she has acknowledged him."

At Luke's questioning gaze, Han continued. "Seems to me Leia thinks that by naming him after old heavy breathing, she can redeem your father's name and help her son avoid your father's fate."

Luke groaned. "Not that again. Your children's fates are their own to make; nothing my father did can change that fact."

"You and I both know that, kid. But this is Leia we're talking about, you know."

Sighing heavily, Luke put his head into his hands and considered the situation. Anakin Skywalker had always been a taboo subject between the twins and her refusal to recognize their father and his redemption and sacrifice at the end of his life had always caused Luke distress. Although she had refused to talk about it, Luke had always suspected that Leia was afraid of following in their father's footsteps to the point she had thus far largely refused any kind of Jedi training. He was thrilled that this may be a step in her ultimate acceptance of her Jedi heritage, but Luke knew he would have to tread carefully.

And then there was Han's reaction to consider – looking at his brother-in-law, Han's face was a blank slate, showing no hint of his emotions. But Luke could sense several things flittering around the edge of Han's consciousness – anger, uneasiness, resignation and even a hint of pride. Han had accepted the fact that the woman he married was the daughter of the man who had put him into the hell of carbonite, but it had not been easy for him. And they had never discussed what Han had gone through on Bespin at the hands of his father – Luke not certain how to bring it up with a man who had become as close as a brother, Han, he suspected, simply did not want to talk about it.

"How are you taking this, Han?" Luke finally asked quietly.

Han lifted his shoulders in a shrug, almost as if the question were inconsequential. "You know your sister – when she gets something in her head, there's no getting it out."

"Yes, I know Leia," Luke retorted, becoming angry at Han's nonchalance. "But come on, this is your son too."

Han's response was quiet, almost inaudible. "I've already given my approval."

Again Luke was struck silent by Han's confession.

"It's time Leia started to put all this behind her," Han continued after a moment's pause.

"I don't disagree, Han, but do you really think this is the best way to go about it?"

"I'm not sure of anything, kid. All I know is if this is what helps Leia to accept her heritage and the heritage of our children, then so be it. She's gone too long the way she is already."

The next few moments were spent in uncomfortable silence. Luke was not certain what to say and he felt that Han did not want to say anything more. Secretly, Luke was thrilled that they had decided to name their son after his father, but he did not want such a decision to drive a wedge between them – he did not want them to regret their decision in the years to come.

"Look, Han, I'm sorry…" he began.

"Sorry?" Han interrupted, his eyes flashing with true anger this time. "Sorry, for what? Luke, you're not Leia for Force sake. Shavit, _nobody_ controls Leia – you know that."

Luke tried to speak, but Han cut him off. "Or maybe you're trying to apologize for what your old man did on Bespin. Is that what's bothering you? Because if that's what this is all about, you're barking up the wrong wroshyr tree."

"But Han," Luke spoke, his voice filled with emotion, "my father did terrible things to you – and Leia and Chewie – on Bespin. He did it in the pursuit of me. It was always me he wanted – you and Leia were just the means of getting to me. That's why I have always felt a certain responsibility…"

"No, kid, you just don't get it," Han interjected. His hands were holding the sides of his seat so tightly his knuckles were completely white and on his face was a look of utter determination.

"Why do you think I haven't wanted to talk about Bespin all these years?"

Luke turned away, gazing out the window, but not seeing anything as he considered his friend's question. "I… I guess I always assumed it was because it was too painful for you to discuss – that you would prefer to just forget it."

Han snorted. "After knowing me for all these years, you still don't really understand me, do you?"

Shocked, Luke's eyes darted to Han's face. His friend had a look of weary resignation etched on his face, giving Luke the sense that Han was willing himself to be patient and understanding.

"You know, Luke," Han continued quietly, "For someone as intelligent and insightful as you are, you have certain blind spots the size of star cruisers. I made my peace with your father and Bespin a long time ago. You and Leia are the ones who haven't."

Luke was aghast at his friend's assertion, but his shock wore off instantly and he wondered if Han was correct. He had always felt a certain guilt and remorse for what had been done to Han, even if he had not been the one ultimately responsible for it. Had he been harboring this guilt, on some level unable to get past it, to accept the past and everything that had occurred as simply that – the past? How had this affected his relationship with Han? With Leia? Stars, with any of his other acquaintances? And, Leia with her steadfast refusal to acknowledge their father, her continued reluctance to give any more than a half-hearted effort into furthering her skills as a Jedi – if she was beginning to come to grips with their legacy, how could he not? The knowledge of his failure had never struck Luke more forcefully.

Han, however, did not allow him to continue with his internal soul searching. "The reason I didn't want to discuss this with you," he went on, "is because I knew you would go all noble on me and take the blame for your father's actions on your own shoulders."

"And I was right."

Somehow, Luke knew Han spoke nothing but the truth. For all his cocky manner and sometimes carefree and even indifferent attitude, Han was extremely observant, often seeing things others missed, and a shrewd judge of character. He had known Luke's anxiety and had actively avoided the subject, knowing what Luke's reaction would be. Luke respected Han a great deal, for though his friend was essentially Force blind, he was often more observant than Luke was _with_ the Force.

"Look, kid," Han said again. "You have nothing to apologize for – what Vader did was what Vader did. _He_ made the choice, whether he was pursuing you, or just feeding some deep seated urge to use people as his personal playthings. It is not your fault – it was never your fault."

"I know Han," Luke whispered, his mind awash with thoughts and emotions. "But I was involved and I feel daily the struggle to overcome his legacy. The responsibility is mine to ensure his mistakes are never repeated – your children, Leia and even you are all a part of that. Sometimes it's a heavy burden."

Han's expression softened to one of compassion. "I know, kid. Just remember; your father was responsible for his own actions and you can only be responsible for your own. You can't change the past; you can only affect the present and the future. And from what I can see you're doing a hell of a job. Don't let Vader pull you down."

Silence fell between the two of them as they both pondered their own thoughts, the tension of their discussion now forgotten. Something, however, kept niggling at Luke's consciousness – something which told him although Han was hinting at nonchalance, he was not quite as unaffected by this as he would like to appear.

"You say you're over it, but you must have felt _something_ when Leia hit you with this."

"Ah, the great Jedi makes an appearance," Han responded with a smirk. "Just when I think I have you all figured out, you go and spring a little insight on me."

"I'm not _completely_ blind, Han," Luke responded, his face mirroring Han's grin.

"Okay, kid, I'll admit it – I was shocked and a little angry when Leia brought up this whole name business. But when I thought about it, I realized it was the perfect tribute to a man who had been a great Jedi, the man who fathered two of the most incredible people in the galaxy."

Luke blushed at the praise, but Han, not noticing – or not acknowledging – continued.

"Luke, Vader did some reprehensible things during the course of his life. But Anakin Skywalker did many heroic and courageous things and I have learned over the years to appreciate the one, while accepting the other as part of history – the galaxy's history and our family's history. At the end of the day, Anakin redeemed himself in helping you. He enabled you to return to us and for that act alone, he made himself a namesake that I can accept for my son."

And that was it – no more needed to be said on the subject. The shuttle stopped at length and the two men exited together, making for the walkway which led to the Solo home. They were silent, each lost in their own thoughts, comfortable that the last thing which had stood between them had been swept away. They were family – Han the brother Luke had never had, Luke, along with a certain dark-haired princess, the means of Han's salvation, the impetus he had needed to make himself into a better person.

They reached the door to the Solo apartment when Luke stopped Han with a hand on his shoulder.

"Han… thanks – for everything. I think now I can move past this – get on with my life as it were."

Han grinned in response. "Sure took you long enough, kid. Come on; your sister's waiting and I think she's not quite there yet. Let's help her put it in the past too."

He opened the apartment door and they entered. Immediately Luke's senses were assaulted, the scent of home cooking, the homey, cozy feeling of the apartment, the squeals of the children in the distance as they realized their father and uncle had arrived. He reflected that he had been mistaken in his ruminations over the planet – this was home, here with Han and Leia and their family, growing as it was. It was a heady feeling.

And maybe some day when his life calmed down and he had more time to devote to his own happiness, there would be a wife and a family in his future as well.

But _Mara Jade_?

Luke made a mental note to ask Han what he had been drinking – it was making the former smuggler consider the daftest ideas.


End file.
